To begin with lets review a bit of bible history, for those of you who are not familiar with the story of Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed Jesus Christ to the chief priests and elders for 30 silver pieces. Judas then felt so horrible for what he had done when he found out that Jesus had been condemned, he attempted to return the silver pieces, but the chief priests and elders refused to accept them from him. Judas threw down the silver pieces in the temple, and departed, he then hung himself.

How Judas Became a Vampire:

Now there are many beliefs as to how exactly Judas becomes a vampire, the first belief and most common is that god cursed Judas and his family to walk the earth until the second coming of Jesus, and until that time he would thirst for the blood of Jesus, which of course he could only receive through Christians. Which is proof that perhaps this myth was propagated by the church.

The second belief is not as common, but goes along with the Last Supper. What many do not know is that during the last supper Jesus was quite serious when he said to drink of his blood and eat of his flesh, in fact half of his disciples walked out on him because of this. There are quite a few people who belief Jesus himself was a vampire, thus it is easily believed that Jesus himself created Judas knowing he would betray him, and perhaps created Judas as a grand experiment.

The Folklore Involved in the Mythos:

It has been very common through vampire folklore to believe that those who commit suicide will become vampires themselves being that suicide is believed to damn your soul. This belief, most likely draws from the Judas mythos, as Judas hung himself in his guilt for betraying Jesus.

Another belief is the belief that vampires have red hair, a belief quite common in the Mediterranean region where red hair was uncommon. Judas is believed to have been a red head, and thus it was believed his children would also have red hair. This was found then to be a common sign of a person who was or would become a vampire.

Perhaps the most common of the vampire mythos is the belief that a vampire can be destroyed by a stake, more precisely a stake of aspen wood. Aspen is the wood that it is believed the cross upon which Jesus died was made of, thus because Judas had ultimately caused Jesus’ death he would be repelled by the item of his demise.

It is also believed that the mythos of a vampires repulsion by crucifixes and other holy items stems from the Judas mythos. Simply put, Judas felt great sadness for what he had done, and as such he was repelled by anything that reminded him of his great crime, and the atrocities which he committed.

The final folk belief about vampires that is attributed to the Judas Iscariot mythos is the belief that vampires are repelled by silver. It is believed that since Judas himself cast aside the silver which he had taken when he sold out Jesus that he now had a repulsion to the substance and as such was repelled by it.

The specific quote from the bible is as such:

3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27: 3 – 5).

The new National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Tales of gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Athena and heroes and monsters such as Helen of Troy, Perseus, and Medusa will fascinate and engage children’s imaginations.

National Geographic completes the book with embellishments of each story: sidebars for each god, goddess, hero, and monster link the myths to constellations, geography, history, and culture to help young readers connect the stories to real life events, people, and places. A family tree and a “cast of characters” profile page help make relationships between the characters clear, and a mapping feature adds to the fun and fascination. Resource notes and ample back matter directing readers to more information round out this luminous book.

62 Responses to “Judas Iscariot and Vampire Myths”

I have to say that I really found this to be an interesting read. I have never heard anything about Judas being associated with vampire beliefs before this and can hardly wait to see the comments and discussion.

IT is stated in different forms in different editions
The New Testament contains two accounts of how he died. Matthew 27:3-5 says that he felt so much remorse over what he had done that he returned the bribe money and then hanged himself. And Acts 1:18 says: “with the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.” Because these accounts appear to differ, there is some uncertainty about how he actually died.

That has got to be the biggest load I have ever read. You really should not situate the Bible to accommodate your fantasies. If you enjoy writing over the top fiction stories, maybe you should get a publisher. My mother was a Sunday school teacher, and my grandpa, as well as my uncle were preachers, so I believe I’ve been pretty well versed in the bible. I have NEVER heard of any biblical characters being associated with vampires. Please. God help anyone who actually entertains this “story” as being true.

You Go Strong!!!!
Oh my goodness! I am just sitting here in shock! As a Christian and a Sunday School Teacher I feel it is my responsibility to set the record straight, about what “Chetan” said about the Last Supper, I don’t want anyone to be mislead by one of the many “False Prophets” out there. I don’t know where you got your information, but the BIBLE says in…
Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and Blessed It, and brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said “Take, eat; this is My Body”. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it, For this is My Blood of the New testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
This is is obviously sybolisim and as far as Judas being a Vampire that is really out there but that doesn’t bother me nearly as much as you claiming that Our Savior, Jesus Christ, would suggest Canibalisim!
Sorry, didn’t mean to go all indignant on yall, but that felt like my faith was being really Violated. Actually it felt like I was watching the Bible being used as toilet paper!
Sorry, there I go again!
God Bless yall!

By the way, even the Devil can quote the Bible, he knows every word, and twists its words to make you question what you believe.
Sorry, I’ll Shut up now!

This was interesting was it true I don’t believe so…. I believe in god and to think that gods son could ever possibily be a vampire is ridiculous. I love myself a good vampire story or ghost story but this was a sick twist on the bible.

I must say that what you posted was quite interesting and educating as well. I believe if those who have responded will go back and re-read it they will see that you clearly wrote that this was FOLKLORE and legends or Myths. I think people tend to misjudge and interpret too quickly to what they see. People shouldn’t take offense to what is posted, for it may be written as fictiscious, folklore, or opinions. And we are ALL entitled to or opinions and beliefs and should respect what is posted and not slander one another. Emotions can be hard to control when dealing with religious topics, but keep an open mind and respect others. Does the Bible not say honor and respect thy neighbor? Just because you may take offense to something that has been posted does not mean that you have to be rude or honoree. Now, in my OPINION again, I find this an interesting article. How hard would it be for someone to just reply by stating that in their OPINION that they did not like the article that it was offensive without going all ballistic? Thank you for putting the time and effort into writting this article.

This is definitely one of the most bizarre takes I have ever seen on the story of Judas. No, I don’t personally believe it, but I find the whole concept something that would make an awesome movie! Certainly not been done before!

As I said, no, I don’t believe it…it is after all only folklore. I consider myself a Christian yet I don’t believe that the Bilbe is 100% accurate, nor do I believe that all of the ancient texts are there in the Bible…many are left out.

And while I understand why some might be offended at the concept of our Savior being a vampire….the key word is concept. (and a very wild one at that!)

I have read this article and I must say that to me it is far reaching.
There are some who believe that they have found the lost gospel of Judas. The papyrus was dated to the 2nd century AD, translated from it’s original ancient greek to coptic around 300AD. Stating that Jesus asked Judas for the “ultimate” sacrifice. Turning his name over to the Romans thus helping Jesus fulfill his mission on earth. I have never heard of a connection between vampires and Judas, until now.

This myth is very obscure, it is old, and not as popular as many other myths, but it gives answers to why a few of the folklore beliefs exist. During the modern day the image of the vampire has changed, from a predatory creature of the night, to a almost romantic figure of modern culture. Perhaps this is why many origin myths have survived while others died out, there is a great deal less involvement by the Church in our beliefs and as such many of the truely religous vampire beliefs have all but died out.

In reality, most vampire beliefs were created by the Church to keep people from robbing graves, roaming the streets at night, and to generally instill fear in a relatively ignorant populace. And it is quite safe to say that the majority of our populace is far from ignorant, and as such, through novels and books the image of the vampire has become romanticized and glamorized.

Seriously? Writing a story, saying that and I quote “What many do not know is that during the last supper Jesus was quite serious when he said to drink of his blood and eat of his flesh, in fact half of his disciples walked out on him because of this. There are quite a few people who belief Jesus himself was a vampire, thus it is easily believed that Jesus himself created Judas knowing he would betray him, and perhaps created Judas as a grand experiment.” Then replying to negative comments that it’s “only folklore”… come on!

Dude, in the event of trying to teach someone something and giving history that you have absolutely no clue about, you should really get know your facts. First of all the last supper with Jesus before he was arrested, he said to his deciples drink the wine as my blood, eat the bread as my body and not meant litterally. A ritual that Christians use till this day. Jesus was the purest human being (With out sin) to have ever lived and the purpose of the drinking of the wine and eating of the bread is to cleanse the soul, and is also a statement of your believe in The Trinity of God, the Father, the Son and The holy Spirit and the believe that Jesus was sent to earth by God to die on the cross for our sins, so we could be forgiven and would be able to go to heaven through Jesus the Son. If you have actually read the Bible of God you would be able to distinguish this and not create your own propaganda. And by the by, none of Jesus deciples left him, only Judas. So next time you want to write a juicy scary story and use history of Christianity and the Bible as a source and smear our Lord’s name, get your facts straight mate then you would actually realise you’re writing a load of dung!

To everyone that replied to this story and defended Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I’m proud of you.

IF JUDAS WAS A VAMPIRE WHY WASN’T HE MENTION ON THE BIBLE THAT HE WAS SEEN OR SOMETHING ABOUT HIM AFTER HE HUNG HIMSELF? I AM SORRY BUT I DON’T BELIEVE JUDAS IS OR WAS THE FIRST VAMPIRE. I AM CURIOUS OF HOW THE FIRST VAMPIRE WAS EVER CREATED IF THEY REALLY DO EXIST BUT I REALLY DOUBT JESUS WAS THE ONE WHO CREATED SUCH A CREATURE. I WAS ONCE TOLD BY SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME WHO IS A DECENDED OF WITCHES AND SHE SAID VAMPIRE WAS CREATED BY WITCHES TO LIVE FOREVER BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG AND SO IT’S CALLED BY THEIR OWN VAMPIRE. ANYWAY I DON’T KNOW IF THAT IS TRUE BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT I WAS TOLD.
THANKS FOR SHARING

I AGREE WITH YOU
I ALSO DON’T BELIEVE IT
IT WOULD OF MENTIONED IT IN THE BIBLE LATER ONE IF GOD HAD CURSED HIM AND TURNED HIM TO A DEMON BUT EVEN THEN AFTER WHAT JUDAS DID TO CHRIST
CHRIST HAD FORGAVE HIM LIKE HE DIED FOR ALL OF OUR SINS.

I agree with mama22, and on the lost book or whatever of judas. Who’s going to believe him in the first place? This is just how those myth and folklore get started. Someone delusional in a fit of mental breakdown spouts various garb-auje’ into the air and those eager to latch onto anything will bite onto it like a ravenous perch. It’s almost as sad as reading the stuff spread about the mass of misinformation and disinformation surrounding conspiracies. The only assassinations involved in those being that of common sense.

I have to say this is the most wild thing I’ve ever read filled with taking the bible out of context and good story conjuring. Obviously Jesus wasn’t being serious when he said drink his blood. If you read any other part of the bible you’d know that he spoke in figurative language. If that was literal, then we need to pluck our eyes out because it causes us to sin. Which is something that Jesus also said. Demons aren’t real either. It’s a mistranslated word that means affliction or sickness.

From what I can see, it wasn’t posted as truth. It was posted to inform people of an old myth that (apparently, by the heated reaction) was not one known about before. Key word…”myth”. It’s just a concept…I don’t agree with it either, but in my opinion the writer doesn’t need to be blasted for simply passing on a legend. I never once read where it was intended to be taken as truth.

It’s an interesting idea that has been touched on in the media, already:

“Dracula 2000″ (and subsequent sequels) shows the main vampire as being Judas Iscariot…

“The Seventh Seal” with Demi Moore – If I remember correctly, the crazy priest who was waiting for Judgment Day to happen so he could finally die, was Judas.. but not a vampire – just immortal and wanting to die.

It is virtually impossible to predict how any human might act if endowed/punished with immortality. We can assume that he/she may eventually want to die – especially if the immortality is of the kind that prevents against any method of dying or killing oneself.. After so many years alive and experiencing all the things Life has to offer, one would have no thing left to experience – save for death.
The immortality that our beloved vampires have hinges upon the possibility of never being attacked and killed. Pseudo-immortality, perhaps.. I have no idea where I’m going with thismuahahahah

Cheatan, maybe you should take your little peice a little further and write yourslef a good book. I would buy it……..i believe in God, wasnt offended by this peice, i actually enjoyed reading the different spin on this. Thanks for the originality cheatan.

I have been off-line for a while; busy typing books for an arthur. I havve to say I was shocked. But yes there are millions of opinionsout there, and myths, and things that go bump in the night. This was probably written and started by one of the other religions of that period. It sounds like something the priests of Egypt or the Driuds or how about the Hebrew/Jewish priest? – would say. They all needed to discredit this “man” Jesus because he was taking their followers away. But all of this is a little too heavy for me – I think I will stick to regolar ghosts demons.

I believe it was an Aspen tree that Judas tried to hang himself from Thus aspen is the best wood supposedly to hone into stakes and kill vampires I guess. Now other than that I don’t have any reason to believe Judas to be the first vampire. However, my guess is that the 30 shekels of silver were made into a Chalice and because of Judas’ unforgivable act he was ‘possibly’ made to drink some of the caught blood from Jesus’ Crucifixion and he was, as God promised, made undead and made to walk the earth dead but…not, until the second coming of Jesus and the judgement. I don’t know how that could possibly work seeing as how transfusions fail all the time due to blood type and with all the other precarious reactions that could occur through the exchange of blood. Now the myth goes that they must have blood that is still warm and pumping. Maybe through that they bypass the whole surfeit of trouble that comes from blood and letting it willy nilly.

To Dr. Otatti you may not believe in demons but they believe in you if I may quote Constantine from the movie. There are angels, aggelos to the Greek, messengers, watchers, cherubim whatever. The ones that are ‘Fallen’ are with Lucifer or as we know him now satan. There is such thing as good angels and bad angels. They are not supposed to be able to inhabit our body but only influence us through our aural field. Because like the earth and it’s electromagnetic field we also have a weak magnetic field known as our aura. Through subtle tweeking and abberationial fiddling in that wave like field of energy they can and do ‘affect’ us and our consciousness. The only way as far as I know that demons can possess our body is if we invite them in, or conjure them and then don’t summarily send them back to where we conjured them from properly. Read the Necronomicon for that kind of info or other grimoires of magical and occultic ideas and practice. Just don’t make the mistake of not believing in them it makes it easier for them to affect you without you ever being aware.

To Elesha SA, Hi! May God Bless you and Keep you always! The idea of Our saviours blood and flesh being partaken of as rememberance of Him was not a new idea at the time. He may have spoken these words allegorically in terms they may have been familiar with. For some of the other deities that the hebrews worshipped at that time they may have known of other cultures that ritually sacrificed their leaders after a specific time period, of which they were aware of before taking position of being leader. They did it as a sacrifice of love for their people. Upon sacrificing them they ate of thier flesh and drank of their blood so that the legacy of the leader might live on in their DNA and their childrens DNA for generations to come. That they may all share in His glory, their leader that is! Now Jesus did not, of course, state that they should eat of His flesh and drink of His blood literally!! What He literally meant was for them to partake of the word of God that He spoke, and to make that and the love He shared with them a literal part of himself. Too many people take things outta context. Also too, I’ve read a story once about a woman who was petrified of heights and had a car accident, received a transfusion from a person who was a rock climber and after recovering from their injuries had an urge to go rock climbing and reported having no fear of heights!! So you see how if someone were to eat another person that blood could live on in their own. JESUS wanted US to ‘eat’ or literally READ and UNDERSTAND His word for it was His Fathers word. Remember too that He said to His disciples that He ate for their sake. He didn’t need to eat that He had food that they knew not of, MANNA from Heaven!

Anyway, just needed to rant and vent a little guys nothin personal to ya’ll!! I read an aweful lot so I have a ton of ideas percolating in my brain at all times!!!!!! LOL! Peace, Love, and Happiness to the World!!

To Mitochondrion-Are you really basing things off a movie? Its NOT REAL. Plus, vampires on this site beleive nothing when it comes from the movies. Whats wrong with you people. Didnt you read the Bible? All those accounts where he was always sucking blood and flying around, and only being out in the dark. He was always dodging wooden stakes and silver stakes and never would partake in garlic. If he was a vampire, why did he ware white. Most accounts have them in black. But I know the vampire race will straighten me out on this myth. Man. I thought more of you would have found those passages by now. This is the stupidest thing i’ve read on this site yet, and i’ve seen some doosies.

O my God!! U guyz are still beatng around d bush, what i,d like to elaborate is dat if Judas was a vampire how did he die or is he stl walkng d earth wth dat same damnd soul until christ 2nd comming? Any way my regardz to cheetan d inventor of dis ideas u,re indeed Great!!

Hi,
In the seventh seal, the prieast was not Judas.
they are in fact incorporating an old christian legend into the story line. This legend never appeared in the bible. The legend goes that there wa a Roman soldier who attacked and beat up a Christian without provocation. The christian then revealed himself as an angel and the Roman soldier was cursed by God to walk the earth and never die until Christ himself returned, literally to live until the end of the world. I personally believe that to know the origin of vampires we need to study the ancient sumerian and mesopotamian texts. The oldest vampire stories are of sumerian origin. The story of judas being the first vampire is a complete fabrication meant to terrorize people out of pagan religions and into Catholicism/christianity.

Finally, there is a reasonable person on this site. It IS fiction and not even well-written. It is a bunch odf stories written by rulers to control the populace. And look at the millions of lemmings that still fall for it to this day. Was Stephanie Meyer alive back then? It’s as trashy as a twilight book.

As far as stories go these present some great stories. I don’t believe them. I love my Jesus like crazy. Not real sure about Judas, he could be still walking around. I have read this before, and also seen it in movies. The greatest read for a true Christian would be the dead sea scrolls. You will be moved to a higher level of faith. Scarygirl67 has it right not everything is in the Bible. Men picked through the ancient texts and chose what they wanted to put in and leave out. Judas may walk among us, but as a vamp I don’t know.

I must say people are ignorant! Im christian I go to catholic school and all that good stuff. Yes I can see some get offended by this but its one thing to disagree and another to completely bash and spit on.

I thought it was a great article. I don’t believe in vampires being real no matter who they are but I love reading myths of things that go bump in the night so thanks

Why trash someone for propogating a myth? Great literature is founded on just such actions. Why are all the Christians visiting a vampire site anyways? Perhaps you are all trolling the internet looking to argue your religion to people who don’t follow it? Does it silence the voice of reason in your head that tells you it’s all a bunch of crap?

I know vampires cannot exist due to viruses in blood, etc. the human body was not made for this manner of existing, now for the body and blood of Christ was symbolic as drinking of wine and the breaking of bread, I never read them leaving due to misunderstanding. His disciples did in fact understand, Christ never left them in the dark

Well due to the fact that vampires are said to be un-killable only with a few ways to kill them the viruses would not harm them most likely. Also I do not think that any where within the Bible does it even mention vampires it talks of demons and so fourth but nothing of vamps. I am glad that you know this to be true for a fact with this info then we can just stop trying to understand where this came from why vampires influence us so much for they never were here and never have been.

As for me I think that there is something to the whole thing but like many other things it has been twisted beyond all else and is nothing of the truth in the myths we grow up with. But there is some kind of hidden truth in this myth some wheres.